Featured Articles

GMUSD Board hears need for deep cuts to avoid penalties

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC After many months of wrangling over various aspects of policy governance — a method of assigning roles of the board and the administration — the Green Mountain Unified School District voted to consign it to the ash heap and move to another model. But that sense of […]

Chester Hardware bankruptcy sale in the works

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC If all goes to plan, according to bankruptcy trustee Raymond Obuchowski, the Chester Hardware store that declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy and closed in July could be under new ownership by early December. On Friday, Obuchowski and trustee Paul Levine filed notice of a motion asking the  U.S. […]

Chester planners hear of alternative zoning for increasing housing

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Planning Commission is in the early days of updating the Town Plan with technical and writing assistance from the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission or MARC. But at Monday’s meeting, the most interesting moments came in a discussion of fast-tracking housing projects that could be applied […]

Chester board talks changes in finances, tax collection, budget voting

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC With auditor Ron Smith attending the Wednesday, Sept. 2 meeting, the Chester Select Board again considered some big changes in the way the town handles its finances and tax collection and how the budget is approved.  The board looked at a “fund balance policy,” and the idea […]

Facilitators chosen for Act 170 school merger talks to begin in October

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Learning Collaborative announced on Friday the names of the seven Act 170 facilitators who will guide school districts in evaluating the possibility of voluntary school mergers between now and Sept. 1, 2027. Any proposed mergers will be voted on by the communities involved in the […]

The Ultimate Guide to the 2026 Chester Festival

© 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Welcome to the 52nd Chester Festival, a weekend filled with friendly faces, fine crafts, wonderful arts, great food and superb music and entertainment for the whole family. This year’s festival will be bigger than ever with more than 100 vendors. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. […]

  • Other Recent Articles

  • Disability awareness and de-escalation training at Neighborhood Connections

    Disability awareness and de-escalation training at Neighborhood Connections

    Dr. Kendra LaRoche, executive director of the Special Needs Support Center,  will be guest speaker at the Oct. 20 Soup and Sandwich Series held by Neighborhood Connections. LaRoche is the creator of the Disability Awareness and De-escalation Training program, and is offering Continuing Education Credit for all attendees who may benefit from it. The event […]

  • Pie Social to benefit Grafton Historical Society

    Pie Social to benefit Grafton Historical Society

    The Grafton Historical Society is holding a fund-raising Pie Social, followed by a fall concert by the Grafton Cornet Band, beginning at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4. The Pie Social will be held at the historical society building at 147 Main St. in Grafton with the Cornet Band concert beginning at 3 p.m. on […]

  • To the editor: Vote Charlton, vote for affordability

    To the editor: Vote Charlton, vote for affordability

    I write in strong support of Tom Charlton for re-election as Vermont House representative for Chester, Grafton, Athens and Windham. Affordability of life in Vermont is a big issue in this November election.  Rep. Charlton’s position on affordability is best expressed in his own words:  “If you are concerned as to whether you can afford […]

  • Stone Village Art Guild holds fund-raising exhibit for Whiting Library

    Stone Village Art Guild holds fund-raising exhibit for Whiting Library

    The Stone Village Art Guild, in collaboration with the Whiting Library in Chester, is holding an art exhibit/fundraiser through Oct. 29 at the library, 117 Main St. For this Art Off the Wall exhibit, local artists will be donating 50% of their art sales to the library. Artists in the exhibition are from Chester, Ludlow, […]

  • Social Adult Day Care to kick off in Londonderry

    Social Adult Day Care to kick off in Londonderry

    Neighborhood Connections in Londonderry will be opening its new Social Model Adult Day Care Program on Wednesday, Oct. 7, providing breakfast and lunch and offering activities including participatory music, arts and crafts, and games modeled after the Relish curriculum. In preparation, an Open House will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. […]

  • Chester Historical Society presents stories of Popple Dungeon

    Chester Historical Society presents stories of Popple Dungeon

    Popple Dungeon is a curious name for a road and an area of Chester. A comment by a school teacher to her students long ago is credited for the unusual name. A new book series about Popple Dungeon Road is the modern equivalent of Little House on the Prairie. Stephen S. Rollins, an author who […]

  • College News

    College News

    Linsey Miles of Chester, a member of the Class of 2029 has earned them a place on the spring 2026 Dean’s List for Regis College in Weston, Mass. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must earn a GPA of 3.5 or higher. First-year students qualify with a GPA of 3.25 or higher. Caitlyn Stearns of […]

  • From the editor: Two super events in Chester and a lesson in lemonade-making

    From the editor: Two super events in Chester and a lesson in lemonade-making

    By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC It was a beautiful fall Saturday morning. The sun was shining and the American Legion’s Gateway Field, carpeted in green grass, was buzzing with activity as vendors set up their booths at the new home of the Chester Festival. For the past nine months, many of us have […]

  • To the editor: Ed Secy Saunders fails public schools with latest directive

    To the editor: Ed Secy Saunders fails public schools with latest directive

    Vermont needs a secretary of education who understands how the system works here: It’s debatable that Zoie Saunders issuing a directive that school districts looking to hire superintendents only offer contracts for one year falls under her purview. Saunders’ Agency of Education colleague, Toren Ballard, makes a laughable attempt to justify the edict by pointing […]

  • Henry Homeyer: Autumn isn't just for orange leaves

    Henry Homeyer: Autumn isn’t just for orange leaves

    By Henry Homeyer ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC In baseball terms, this season is not the last inning for our gardens. It’s more like the seventh inning stretch. Many flowers have finished up and are dying back, but a few are yet to come. Let’s take a look, starting with two bulb plants that have not […]

  • To the editor: 'Guy in white truck' accepts Dock apology

    To the editor: ‘Guy in white truck’ accepts Dock apology

    I respectfully accept the apology of Steve Dock (To the editor: ‘Writer apologizes for removing campaign sign in Chester‘) and would like to reiterate the need for free speech whether it be in the form of assembly, the writing of opinions, or in the form of displaying a campaign sign. Only then can “ we […]

  • Vermont Land Use Review Board to host public info meetings on Act 250 habitat connectors

    Vermont Land Use Review Board to host public info meetings on Act 250 habitat connectors

    The Vermont Land Use Review Board will host four public information sessions across the state — in person and remotely — to introduce Vermonters to a new Act 250 review criterion that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2028. Criterion 8(C) only applies to projects that already require an Act 250 permit and does not […]

  • To the editor: Writer apologizes for removing campaign sign in Chester

    To the editor: Writer apologizes for removing campaign sign in Chester

    I wish to apologize publicly for removing a “reelect Tom Charlton” sign from the park in front of the Chester Town Hall on Friday afternoon. I am specifically apologizing to the gentleman driving by in a white pickup truck who firmly stated that political signs were allowed on town property other than the Village Green. […]

  • To the editor: Will Hoser has what it takes to represent Windsor-Windham

    To the editor: Will Hoser has what it takes to represent Windsor-Windham

    I am writing in support of Will Hoser as a candidate for the Vermont legislature, representing the Windsor-Windham District.  I have known and worked with Will for over 30 years. In that time,W I have been impressed with his ability to listen, his compassion, and his empathy while providing care to his patients in the […]

  • Black River Walk & Talk on flood awareness on Sunday

    Black River Walk & Talk on flood awareness on Sunday

    To kick off National Flood Awareness Week —  Sunday, Sept. 20 through Saturday, Sept. 26 — the Cavendish Historical Society, Black River Action Team and the Dartmouth Rural Rivers Project are teaming up for a program on the history and health of the Black River and what is being to done to help mitigate flooding. […]

  • FOLA seeks new board members to continue community mission

    FOLA seeks new board members to continue community mission

    The Friends of the Ludlow Auditorium is inviting community members to consider joining its Board of Directors and helping shape the future of entertainment, cultural programming, and community events at the Heald Auditorium in Ludlow Town Hall. Since its founding in 2009, FOLA has worked to make the Ludlow Auditorium a vibrant gathering place for […]

  • All Recent Articles